Stitches of Hope

Stitches of Hope

A 30-foot-wide American flag was flying near the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Nearly 3,000 people were killed that day, but this symbol of America’s resilience survived. Badly torn and tattered, the flag continued to wave high in the air during the aftermath of the attacks.

Seven years later, the flag was sent to Greensburg, Kansas, after a devastating tornado hit there. Members of the Kansas community used flags salvaged from that storm to repair the 9/11 flag (above). The flag then traveled around the country, and more Americans helped repair it. Local service heroes added stitches to it.

For the 10th anniversary of the attacks, the 9/11 flag will be donated to the National September 11 Memorial & Museum at the World Trade Center.

This article originally appeared in the September/October edition ofScholastic ARTmagazine.